Rockets Strike Libyan Capital

Explosions rocked the Libyan capital, Tripoli, early Thursday, from what witnesses say were apparent NATO strikes.
Libyan government officials say at least four rockets targeted a compound in the capital that belongs to leader Moammar Gadhafi.

Meanwhile, the head of the opposition National Transition Council (NTC) is meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron and other officials in London on Thursday. Britain’s Foreign Office says the meeting with Mustafa Abdel-Jalil will include talks on providing more non-lethal aide to Libyan rebels and the establishment of a permanent NTC office in London.

On Wednesday, a U.S. lawmaker announced plans to help the NTC. Senator John Kerry said he was drafting legislation to authorize the transfer Gadhafi’s frozen assets to the opposition council. Kerry, who chairs the foreign relations committee, did not disclose the amount but said it would be enough to impact the crises faced by the council.

Libyan rebels in the besieged western city of Misrata said they had taken control of the municipal airport on Wednesday, following days of heavy fighting. The rebels said they seized large quantities of weapons and ammunition.

Opposition military sources in Misrata, including the commander at the airport, said the rebels had secured the entire facility, which had become the main base for pro-Gadhafi forces in the city.

Later Wednesday, Gadhafi made his first television appearance since a NATO airstrike on a house in Tripoli killed one of his sons and three grandchildren on April 30. Libyan state television filmed him at a brief meeting with tribal leaders. A projection screen behind Gadhafi showed Wednesday’s date.

In another development, the U.S.-based GlobalPost news agency says two U.S. journalists detained by pro-Gadhafi forces in Libya have received their first visits since being taken into custody last month. Agency officials said Wednesday intermediaries had been allowed to meet with James Foley and Clare Morgana Gillis in Tripoli.